Amazon’s Echo devices are some of the best smart speakers and smart displays we’ve tested. They’re easy to use thanks to fast voice command processing and offer best-in-class sound quality. I find they offer the most value as an all-in-one smart home center, with versatile sensors and controls built into each Echo.
Currently, the Amazon Echo (4th Gen) smart speaker with Sengled Smart Color Bulb is on sale for $64.99, which is $55 off its usual price of $120. That’s a 37% saving on not only one of the best Alexa speakers, but also one of the best smart home hubs (with Matter and Zigbee protocol) you can buy. It even comes with built-in temperature and motion sensors, making it one of the best smart home devices if you’re looking to set one up or expand your existing setup.
The latest generation Echo brings the knowledge of the Alexa assistant to every room, so you can use your voice to get information or play music. It’s packed with features so you can use other Echo speakers or Echo Shows in other rooms as an intercom, or connect them all for a whole-house listening experience. This Echo (4th generation) is an extra-powerful speaker with a 3.0-inch neodymium woofer and two front-facing 0.8-inch tweeters, outperforming the Dot and Spot front-facing speakers.
Even more exciting are the built-in Matter and Zigbee radios that act as a smart home hub, connecting local smart home devices like smart locks, lights and sensors to your Alexa smart home without the need for an additional hub. This reduces bandwidth consumption and is faster than WiFi. The built-in sensors can detect changes in motion or temperature that can be used to automatically start routines. For example, if it detects someone entering the room, smart lights will immediately turn on.
As it happens, this deal gets you one of the best smart light bulbs for free. This lets you control your new smart home hub right out of the box. Whether you want to turn on the lights, switch between all 133 Alexa smart light colors, or create complex automations, this bulb is the one for the job. You can program a routine to turn it on when occupancy is detected or turn it off when no one is in the room to save energy. Using the Alexa app, you can schedule the bulb and its brightness to create a DIY sunrise and sunset alarm. Just program it to gradually ramp up from zero percent in the morning and slowly dim down after sunset to start a sleep routine.
This affordable package lays a solid smart home foundation, but offers a lot more that you can expand on. Add one of the best smart plugs to your existing wall-powered devices, like your lamp or coffee maker, to control or schedule them while you’re away. And if you have a camera, here are five ways you can use your home security camera to automate your smart home.
